CHAPEL HILL — North Carolina men's basketball coach Roy Williams broke his public silence about the P.J. Hairston situation with a statement released through the school’s athletics media relations office that suggested punishment could be in store for the rising junior swingman.

Hairston, who led North Carolina in scoring last season, has been the subject of numerous reports since a June arrest while driving a rental vehicle that’s linked to a convicted felon.

Hairston will face “serious consequences,” Williams said. But the veteran coach of two national championships said there’s no need to rush to determine penalties because of the timing.

Williams said there are options that could be used in determining how to deal with the player from Greensboro.

Hairston was arrested on June 5 and charged with misdemeanor marijuana possession during a license checkpoint in Durham while driving a rented 2013 GMC Yukon.

According to rental records first reported by USA Today, the Yukon was one of two vehicles driven by Hairston and linked to Haydn Patrick “Fats” Thomas, a Durham man facing pending drug charges. Hairston was also cited for speeding in May while driving a 2012 Camaro rented under a woman’s name using Thomas’ home address. That vehicle was ticketed twice on the Chapel Hill campus for parking violations, once in April and once in May.

In all, four rental vehicles linked to Thomas or his home address have received a combined nine parking tickets on campus since February.

Williams’ statement suggests that he’s irritated that the publicity surrounding Hairston’s situation created the necessity for him to be heard on the subject.